Another week begins, which means more "Star Wars: Episode 7" morsels to hopefully help manage your patience as you await December 2015, which is still the release date for the sequel, despite the protestations of director J.J. Abrams and producer Kathleen Kennedy. And these latest updates involve casting, with one rumored name joining the ensemble, and another sharing early details about his role.

“JJ Abrams and I met, and we just had this incredible kind of vibe between us. He said, ‘You’d fit really well in this universe,’ and I said, ‘I think I probably could.’ We’re working very closely, as I say, in two ways: [Serkis’ company] the Imaginarium is providing all of the performance characters, and I myself am playing a character in it," he added. In short: Serkis looks to be pretty heavily involved in front of and behind the camera for this one.

Meanwhile, it would appear that new cast members are being added. According to The Tracking Board, Carrie Fisher‘s daughter Billie Lourd is making her screen debut in the franchise film. This is not confirmed, and of course, if it is true, there are no details on the size of her part. So we’ll have to see what comes of it.